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erikajay's review against another edition
1.0
*Minor spoilers below*
Oh, wow. This book was bad for so many reasons.
First, it is difficult to just read about illusions. It just isn’t the same as seeing them, so all of the scenes that went in depth with the illusions just didn’t grab my attention.
Second, I don’t feel like there was ever a good suspect presented. The entire book was Audrey Rose running around suspecting literally everyone, but never really doing much investigating. She basically just had a bunch of improper interactions with Mephistopheles.
Third, whyyyyy would Maniscalco introduce a love triangle?? That was the worst thing that she could do. I love a good love triangle... but when it makes sense! Audrey Rose is already engaged though so she shouldn’t be running around kissing another boy. I’m not even a huge fan of Audrey Rose and Thomas, but I was at least happy they were finally together. I never thought I’d say this, but poor Thomas Cresswell!
Fourth, Audrey Rose is so unlikable. I shouldn’t hate the main character by the end of the book. AR is supposed to be really smart and great at her job, but we just don’t see that in this book. She never really makes any advancements in the case. She just keeps suspecting everyone the entire time. She also doesn’t do much with the autopsies. Then she’s all upset and hurt when an ILLUSIONIST, someone who literally has a job of tricking people, isn’t completely honest with her. Why would she expect him to be?? I also have a big problem with her running around and cheating (I do consider kissing other people to be cheating) on her fiancé.
Fifth, her deal with Mephistopheles was unnecessary. I understand that she had a deal with Mephistopheles, but when bodies are piling up and your actions are clearly hurting your fiancé, it’s time to come clean and explain what’s happening. AR’s top priorities should have been Thomas and the case, not Mephistopheles. And her deal with Mephistopheles didn’t even help her solve the case! If anything, it just distracted her from her job.
Oh, wow. This book was bad for so many reasons.
First, it is difficult to just read about illusions. It just isn’t the same as seeing them, so all of the scenes that went in depth with the illusions just didn’t grab my attention.
Second, I don’t feel like there was ever a good suspect presented. The entire book was Audrey Rose running around suspecting literally everyone, but never really doing much investigating. She basically just had a bunch of improper interactions with Mephistopheles.
Third, whyyyyy would Maniscalco introduce a love triangle?? That was the worst thing that she could do. I love a good love triangle... but when it makes sense! Audrey Rose is already engaged though so she shouldn’t be running around kissing another boy. I’m not even a huge fan of Audrey Rose and Thomas, but I was at least happy they were finally together. I never thought I’d say this, but poor Thomas Cresswell!
Fourth, Audrey Rose is so unlikable. I shouldn’t hate the main character by the end of the book. AR is supposed to be really smart and great at her job, but we just don’t see that in this book. She never really makes any advancements in the case. She just keeps suspecting everyone the entire time. She also doesn’t do much with the autopsies. Then she’s all upset and hurt when an ILLUSIONIST, someone who literally has a job of tricking people, isn’t completely honest with her. Why would she expect him to be?? I also have a big problem with her running around and cheating (I do consider kissing other people to be cheating) on her fiancé.
Fifth, her deal with Mephistopheles was unnecessary. I understand that she had a deal with Mephistopheles, but when bodies are piling up and your actions are clearly hurting your fiancé, it’s time to come clean and explain what’s happening. AR’s top priorities should have been Thomas and the case, not Mephistopheles. And her deal with Mephistopheles didn’t even help her solve the case! If anything, it just distracted her from her job.
uutopicaa's review against another edition
3.0
Siento que la saga va en decadencia. Me encantó el primer libro. Me gustó el segundo. El tercero se me hizo interminable.
Sentí que la autora se esforzó tanto en crear al personaje de Mephistopheles que se olvidó de la trama. Y al final él terminó siendo un estereotipo ya muy usado sin giros que lo hicieran únicos.
Me quedaron también cabos sin cerrar en cuanto a los crímenes por primera vez en la saga. Supongo que es intencional.
Y tampoco me gustó la escasa relación del título con la historia. Entiendo que tal vez eso cobre más sentido en el cuarto libro, pero creo que debería contenerse en la misma novela.
No sé. Todo me resultó forzado, casi como una novela de relleno. Espero que el cuarto libro le brinde un buen cierre a la saga.
Sentí que la autora se esforzó tanto en crear al personaje de Mephistopheles que se olvidó de la trama. Y al final él terminó siendo un estereotipo ya muy usado sin giros que lo hicieran únicos.
Me quedaron también cabos sin cerrar en cuanto a los crímenes por primera vez en la saga. Supongo que es intencional.
Y tampoco me gustó la escasa relación del título con la historia. Entiendo que tal vez eso cobre más sentido en el cuarto libro, pero creo que debería contenerse en la misma novela.
No sé. Todo me resultó forzado, casi como una novela de relleno. Espero que el cuarto libro le brinde un buen cierre a la saga.
thesimplereader's review against another edition
4.0
4 ⭐️
I'm not a fan of the that was in this book. However, it is a solid 4 stars because I never guessed who the killer was, loved the excitement and mystery of it all, and never stopped rooting for her and Mr. Cresswell! Highly recommend the audiobook.
I'm not a fan of the
Spoiler
cheating tropelaura__reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Not sure if I should rate this one a bit lower than the other two books for being annoyed with Audrey Rose's behavior, but I'm giving it 5 stars for now because of how much I love the series and my reading experience with it as a whole. I absolutely LOVED the atmosphere of this book and the whole setting as well. I also really enjoyed the Tarot and card aspect, it really added an interesting layer to the mystery. This story felt like a huge riddle to me, and I am a big fan of riddles so I really enjoyed myself and for that reason too I'm probably still gonna give this book 5 stars. The ending was very suspenseful and really well done in my opinion (though I have to say I really liked my own theory too, although I may have gone a bit over board with it). The only thing I didn't like was the love triangle because that part didn't seem very Audrey Rose-like, but I get that the author wanted to show that even for yourself it can sometimes be hard to not mix up the person you really are with the person you're pretending to be. So I forgive her, maybe, for now. Also Thomas is too precious for this world and needs to be protected at all cost.
jadeylady's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The ending of this was spectacularrrrr! I loved the mystery in this one I felt clueless lol but it all came together so nicely. Obviously the love triangle wasn’t my favourite….. but I didn’t mind it made it interesting, especially as I struggled a bit through the first half of the book. It all felt very repetitive again and I just was not interested really but when it started picking up I couldn’t put it down, mainly the last 100 pages or so. But omgggg seeing Thomas doubt himself hurt my heart like Audrey did him wrong.
nikolinaza's review against another edition
4.0
Actual rating: 3.5
Akhirnya, setelah menunda selama dua tahun, aku melanjutkan membaca seri ini juga. Bukan karena malas, lebih karena aku tidak tahu kapan bisa beli sekuelnya lagi, plus ada beberapa review kurang mengenakkan mengenai seri ketiga Stalking Jack the Ripper ini. Kebetulan CtD sudah terbeli dan belakangan ini aku pengin baca sesuatu yang dark and gloomy, so here we go.
Setelah petualangan melawan 'Drakula' di sebuah akademi forensik di Rumania, petualangan Audrey Rose dan Thomas beralih menuju Amerika. Kali ini, mereka ditemani oleh paman Dr. Jonathan Wadsworth, paman Audrey Rose yang juga merupakan mentor mereka serta satu chaperone, Mrs. Harvey. Keempatnya akan menghabiskan tujuh hari perjalanan ke belahan dunia lain di atas RMS Etruria yang mewah, lengkap dengan suguhan hiburan yang meriah dan spektakuler oleh Moonlight Carnival. Akan tetapi, satu per satu mayat mulai muncul, dan di tengah-tengah situasi yang semakin berbahaya, Audrey Rose bingung siapa yang harus dipilihnya: Thomas Cresswell, partnernya yang penuh kharisma dan setia, atau Mephistopheles, sang pemimpin sirkus yang penuh rahasia dan tidak sepenuhnya baik.
Sedikit banyak, aspek karnaval dan sirkus di dalam Escaping from Houdini ini mengingatkanku pada Caraval, meski diksi yang dipakai Kerri Maniscalco tidak terlalu flowery, plus ada unsur forensik di dalamnya. Aku suka nuansa misterius dan gotik yang disuguhkan oleh tokoh Mephistopheles dan juga Moonlight Carnival. Mereka berhasil menambahkan suspense dalam cerita dengan sangat baik, terlebih sang pemimpin yang juga tidak kalah karismatik dari Thomas Cresswell.
Tetapi, entah kenapa aku merasa buku ini tidak se-'penuh' dua buku sebelumnya. Audrey Rose, Thomas, dan Dr. Jonathan Wadsworth bekerja saaaaangat lambat. Penyelidikan mereka pun seolah menemui jalan buntu, padahal ada dua klu besar yang bisa mereka periksa dan amati. Mereka pun kelihatan enggak secerdas biasanya. Rasanya, Kerri Maniscalco sengaja memanjang-manjangkan waktu supaya ada tempat untuk cinta segitiga antara Audrey Rose, Thomas, dan Mephistopheles. Bukannya aku tidak suka, tetapi kalau para tokoh mengalokasikan waktu mereka untuk terus menyelidiki, aku yakin tidak perlu menunggu sampai hari ketujuh untuk menangkap siapa pelakunya.
Belum lagi, di sini Audrey Rose kelihatan agak lemah dari biasanya. Dia jadi mudah termakan emosi, mudah terprovokasi, terlebih oleh Mephistopheles. Plus, dia juga makin plin-plan. Entah berapa kali dia bilang kalau keluar bersama pria tanpa didampingi chaperone itu scandalous, tetapi dia berulangkali menyelinap keluar malam-malam demi menemui Mephistopheles yang rada-rada gaje itu.
But thankfully, at least this book wasn't boring. Aku cuma berpikir buku ini akan jauh lebih enjoyable kalau tokoh-tokohnya tidak OOT seperti di buku ini.
Semoga Capturing the Devil bisa jadi lebih baik dibanding ini.
Akhirnya, setelah menunda selama dua tahun, aku melanjutkan membaca seri ini juga. Bukan karena malas, lebih karena aku tidak tahu kapan bisa beli sekuelnya lagi, plus ada beberapa review kurang mengenakkan mengenai seri ketiga Stalking Jack the Ripper ini. Kebetulan CtD sudah terbeli dan belakangan ini aku pengin baca sesuatu yang dark and gloomy, so here we go.
Setelah petualangan melawan 'Drakula' di sebuah akademi forensik di Rumania, petualangan Audrey Rose dan Thomas beralih menuju Amerika. Kali ini, mereka ditemani oleh paman Dr. Jonathan Wadsworth, paman Audrey Rose yang juga merupakan mentor mereka serta satu chaperone, Mrs. Harvey. Keempatnya akan menghabiskan tujuh hari perjalanan ke belahan dunia lain di atas RMS Etruria yang mewah, lengkap dengan suguhan hiburan yang meriah dan spektakuler oleh Moonlight Carnival. Akan tetapi, satu per satu mayat mulai muncul, dan di tengah-tengah situasi yang semakin berbahaya, Audrey Rose bingung siapa yang harus dipilihnya: Thomas Cresswell, partnernya yang penuh kharisma dan setia, atau Mephistopheles, sang pemimpin sirkus yang penuh rahasia dan tidak sepenuhnya baik.
Sedikit banyak, aspek karnaval dan sirkus di dalam Escaping from Houdini ini mengingatkanku pada Caraval, meski diksi yang dipakai Kerri Maniscalco tidak terlalu flowery, plus ada unsur forensik di dalamnya. Aku suka nuansa misterius dan gotik yang disuguhkan oleh tokoh Mephistopheles dan juga Moonlight Carnival. Mereka berhasil menambahkan suspense dalam cerita dengan sangat baik, terlebih sang pemimpin yang juga tidak kalah karismatik dari Thomas Cresswell.
Tetapi, entah kenapa aku merasa buku ini tidak se-'penuh' dua buku sebelumnya. Audrey Rose, Thomas, dan Dr. Jonathan Wadsworth bekerja saaaaangat lambat. Penyelidikan mereka pun seolah menemui jalan buntu, padahal ada dua klu besar yang bisa mereka periksa dan amati. Mereka pun kelihatan enggak secerdas biasanya. Rasanya, Kerri Maniscalco sengaja memanjang-manjangkan waktu supaya ada tempat untuk cinta segitiga antara Audrey Rose, Thomas, dan Mephistopheles. Bukannya aku tidak suka, tetapi kalau para tokoh mengalokasikan waktu mereka untuk terus menyelidiki, aku yakin tidak perlu menunggu sampai hari ketujuh untuk menangkap siapa pelakunya.
Belum lagi, di sini Audrey Rose kelihatan agak lemah dari biasanya. Dia jadi mudah termakan emosi, mudah terprovokasi, terlebih oleh Mephistopheles. Plus, dia juga makin plin-plan. Entah berapa kali dia bilang kalau keluar bersama pria tanpa didampingi chaperone itu scandalous, tetapi dia berulangkali menyelinap keluar malam-malam demi menemui Mephistopheles yang rada-rada gaje itu.
But thankfully, at least this book wasn't boring. Aku cuma berpikir buku ini akan jauh lebih enjoyable kalau tokoh-tokohnya tidak OOT seperti di buku ini.
Semoga Capturing the Devil bisa jadi lebih baik dibanding ini.
bigtiddygothgf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
GUYS I JUST CANNOT STAND LOVE TRIANGLES BE LOYAL OR GET OUT
____________
this is the third book in the stalking jack the ripper series that follows audrey rose and thomas's deadly escapades on a cruise liner with a mysterious carnival. as fellow passengers start to be murdered and placed in tarot card positions audey rose goes undercover into the carnival troupe to deduce who is guilty.
....well
i'll start with the positives. i really liked the vibes of this book! it reminded me of a favorite series of mine, miss peregrine's home for peculiar children, with the carnival and tarot readings. this book also has my favorite murder plot in the series. the killings were so interesting and horrific, with the bodies being placed in positions mimicking different tarot cards. i thought that was so cool and added to the intensity and fear of the killer which added to my enjoyment and investment while reading.
now to the negatives. I HATED THE LOVE TRIANGLE. after reading the author's note i understand what she was trying to do. in her author's note, kerri maniscalo mentions how in undercover investigations the undercover agents can get caught up in their own fantasy and fall too deep into it, which was she tried to show with audrey rose. just because i understand it though, doesn't mean i like it. the choice to make audrey rose grow closer to the ringmaster of the carnival and pretend to like him to get information was a shit plan in the first place (THAT DIDN'T EVEN HELP SOLVE THE MYSTERY MIND YOU) and completely threw away the romantic developments that have been worked on and strengthened in the last two books. i just also did not like audrey rose in this book at all, she seemed completely different and would say and do things that seemed out of character.
overall, liked the vibes and the murder, not so much anything else. it is unfortunately my least favorite book in this series. rip.
(ALSO HOUDINI HAS SO LITTLE STAGE TIME EVEN THOUGH HE IS IN THE TITLE WHICH IS SO FUNNY TO ME. HE WOULD BE ROLLING IN HIS GRAVE LMAOOOO)
____________
this is the third book in the stalking jack the ripper series that follows audrey rose and thomas's deadly escapades on a cruise liner with a mysterious carnival. as fellow passengers start to be murdered and placed in tarot card positions audey rose goes undercover into the carnival troupe to deduce who is guilty.
....well
i'll start with the positives. i really liked the vibes of this book! it reminded me of a favorite series of mine, miss peregrine's home for peculiar children, with the carnival and tarot readings. this book also has my favorite murder plot in the series. the killings were so interesting and horrific, with the bodies being placed in positions mimicking different tarot cards. i thought that was so cool and added to the intensity and fear of the killer which added to my enjoyment and investment while reading.
now to the negatives. I HATED THE LOVE TRIANGLE. after reading the author's note i understand what she was trying to do. in her author's note, kerri maniscalo mentions how in undercover investigations the undercover agents can get caught up in their own fantasy and fall too deep into it, which was she tried to show with audrey rose. just because i understand it though, doesn't mean i like it. the choice to make audrey rose grow closer to the ringmaster of the carnival and pretend to like him to get information was a shit plan in the first place (THAT DIDN'T EVEN HELP SOLVE THE MYSTERY MIND YOU) and completely threw away the romantic developments that have been worked on and strengthened in the last two books. i just also did not like audrey rose in this book at all, she seemed completely different and would say and do things that seemed out of character.
overall, liked the vibes and the murder, not so much anything else. it is unfortunately my least favorite book in this series. rip.
(ALSO HOUDINI HAS SO LITTLE STAGE TIME EVEN THOUGH HE IS IN THE TITLE WHICH IS SO FUNNY TO ME. HE WOULD BE ROLLING IN HIS GRAVE LMAOOOO)
mariasaracco's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0